During the apex of my physical suffering, I found myself in court, not in my usual role as a lawyer, but as a defendant in a $1 million malpractice lawsuit. There was no merit to the lawsuit. But there I was in court, listening to my lawyer argue why the case against me was baseless and should be dismissed. There I was, barely holding on to life, and listening to the hum and whirl of my infusion pump push formula…

I love that it is the unorthodox who are almost always the heroes in the stories of Jesus. Take, for example, the sinful woman who—in a most unorthodox manner—washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair in the house of the “righteous” and observant Pharisee. Jesus was disgusted with the Pharisee’s self-righteous judgment and condemnation: “Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house….

Dying reveals your true self. When you are dying, you want more than anything to let those around you know how much you love them. Your greatest fear is that you will leave this world, leaving those you love questioning, for the rest of their lives, how much you loved them. You find that words are clumsy and inadequate. You are overwhelmed with memories and emotions of having loved those you love. Your deepest yearning is to convey love. You…

I am writing for those on the edge, those on the fringes or those who have already left organized religion (which I will refer to herein as the “church” regardless of denomination). If you are an active or staunch member of your church, stop reading. You will probably not like or empathize with what follows. But if you’re ready to leave, feeling lost and alone, confused or afraid because you no longer believe what you once thought you believed and…